Truman Middle School eighth-graders Iris Tovar and Keila Molina Hernandez have been recognized 2021 Houghton Mifflin Houghton (HMH) 180 Award winners – an honor given to just 30 students across the country – for their perseverance in overcoming past struggles with math and displaying academic progress. Tovar and Molina Hernandez were lauded for exhibiting engagement, consistency, and perseverance in class, where Truman Middle School math intervention teacher Sahar Yahya uses the HMH Math 180 curriculum to help students learn and grow through a digital framework that provides daily goals and instant assessments.
Fontana Adult School will open enrollment for its January courses at 8 a.m. on Monday, Dec. 6, providing adult learners with opportunities to pursue new educational and professional pathways in the new year. As part of the Fontana Unified School District, Fontana Adult School provides adult students at all stages of life the opportunity to expand their education with an array of free and affordable courses aimed at developing new skills, earning high school diplomas and career technical education certificates and more.
Fontana Unified School District is expanding its ongoing COVID-19 testing clinics to be available to the greater community at no cost. Testing clinics are available at all high school sites from 12:15 to 6:15 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays and from 12:35 to 4:15 p.m. on Fridays; at middle school sites from 7:35 to 11:15 a.m. on Fridays; and at District office from 7 a.m. to 6:15 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays and from 12:35 to 4:15 p.m. on Fridays. Appointments are available, but not required. Community members who are not Fontana Unified students or employees may register for testing at https://www.covidclinic.org/fusd/.
Fontana Unified Kicks Off 24th Annual ‘Fontana Santas’ Toy Drive
Fontana Unified has launched its 24th annual Fontana Santas Toy Drive, in which community organizations, District employees and Fontana residents come together to bring holiday cheer to families in need. Donations of unwrapped toys and gift cards can be dropped off at the Fontana School Police Department, 9680 Citrus Ave., Building 9, Fontana, and at all FUSD campuses. The toy drive will culminate with a drive-thru distribution event for families in need identified by school sites, to be held on Saturday, Dec. 18 at the District Office.
One hundred and eighty Fontana Unified School District seniors were recognized by the San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools for their proficiency in bilingualism and biliteracy, an achievement that will earn them the State Seal of Biliteracy (SSB) at graduation. The District’s 180 seniors, who are on track to meet the state’s rigorous SSB eligibility requirements by graduation, were recognized by San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools Ted Alejandre during a virtual ceremony on Oct. 16.
Fontana Unified has launched its 24th annual Fontana Santas Toy Drive, in which community organizations, District employees and Fontana residents come together to bring holiday cheer to families in need. Donations of unwrapped toys and gift cards can be dropped off at the Fontana School Police Department, 9680 Citrus Ave., Building 9, Fontana, and at all FUSD campuses. The toy drive will culminate with a drive-thru distribution event for families in need identified by school sites, to be held on Saturday, Dec. 18 at the District Office.
Almond Elementary School students are being encouraged to put on their director’s caps and call out ‘lights, camera, action!’ as the school launches its Pacer Production Studios afterschool video program, where Almond students are learning the basics of filmmaking with the assistance of Summit High School TV production students. Nearly 50 Almond Pacer fourth-, fifth- and sixth-grade students meet after school three days a week to learn a variety of film production techniques, including lighting, camera positioning, editing, scriptwriting, adding music and title sequences, and how to be an on-air personality.
Fontana Unified to Hold Parent Meetings for Dual-Language Program
Fontana Unified School District will hold virtual information meetings for its Spanish Dual-Language Immersion (DLI) program on Tuesday, Nov. 16 and Thursday, Nov. 18. The District’s DLI program, which begins in kindergarten and is offered at Redwood Elementary School and Dolores Huerta International Academy, aims to foster bilingualism and biliteracy, sociocultural competency and high levels of academic achievement. For meeting times, language options and links, visit the FUSD DLI page.
Fontana Unified Students Recognized as ‘Academic Trailblazers’
Canyon Crest Elementary fifth-grader Matilda Vinuela and Fontana High School senior Miranda Ordoñez were recognized by San Bernardino County Supervisor Joe Baca, Jr. as District 5 Academic Trailblazers during the Oct. 6 Fontana Unified Board of Education meeting. The award, given in celebration of National Hispanic Heritage month, recognizes high-achieving students for their academic and civic achievements. Ordoñez, who serves as the District’s 2021-22 Board of Education student representative, balances Advanced Placement classes with a variety of campus clubs and activities. Vinuela came to Fontana Unified not speaking any English; despite being in unfamiliar surroundings, she immediately began to blend in as she listened, asked for help, and made friends quickly.
Fontana Unified CTE Teacher Appears on CBS Show ‘Tough As Nails’
While Fontana High School’s newest career technical education instructor, Lamar Hanger, guides students in developing carpentry skills in the classroom, his own expertise is being showcased across the U.S. on the television show “Tough As Nails” – which premiered Oct. 6 on CBS. Hanger brings versatile experience in construction, welding, metal-stud framing, and lath to the CBS competition series for working-class professionals and to his new position at Fontana High School, where students are receiving a hands-on education that can lead to apprenticeships and career opportunities.
